Basket support



Dec. 13, 1960 I s. L. KING 2,964,200

; BASKET SUPPORT Filed May 1, .1959

IN VEN TOR.

38 4 26 42 smueY L. Kme

BY so 24 52 72%,flwmm AT TOZHEY-S United States Patent BASKET SUPPORT Sidney L. King, 4460 Steele St., Denver 16, C010.

Filed May 1, 1959, Set. No. 810,296

3 Claims. (Cl. 211-108) The present invention relates to a support for a basket, such as a clothes basket, for use in combination with a post supporting a clothes line.

Presently in use and previously proposed have been supports for clothes baskets to assist an individual in hanging clothes on a clothes line by making the clothes in the clothes basket readily accessible to the individual. Such devices or supports as have been proposed have not been wholly successful for many reasons. Generally, such devices have comprised platforms rigidly secured to the posts supporting the clothes line, such platforms being subject to weathering and having relatively short life characteristics. Other support devices proposed have been complicated in structure and relatively high in cost.

An object of the present invention is to provide a support for a clothes basket for use on a post supporting a clothes line or the like which may be fabricated of rigid steel rods having long life characteristics and optimum strength, and one which is economically feasible.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a support for a clothes basket which is simp'e in structure, one readily fabricated on metal working machines, one which may be assembled and disassembled by relatively unskilled labor, and one which lends itself to attachment to and detachment from a clothes line supporting post.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the annexed drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is an isometric view of the basket support of the present invention, shown attached to a post, portions of the post being shown broken away.

Figure 2 is a view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, and

Figure 4 is an elevational view of the basket support shown in folded or nested upright position against one side of the post.

Referring in greater detail to the drawing in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, the reference numeral designates an upright post of the kind employed to support a clothes line. The basket support of the present invention is designated generally by the reference numeral 12 and comprises an open frame holder 14 having a generally oval rod 16 bent to form the periphery thereof. The holder 14 includes a longitudinally extending rod member 18 extending from one end to the other end thereof.

Means is provided connecting the holder 14 to the post 10. This means includes a band or clamp element 20 detachably held in embracing position about the post 10 by means of a bolt and nut assembly 22. A pair of vertically disposed spaced rods 24 have their upper ends formed into eye formations 26 receiving therethrough a straight end portion 28 of the holder 14. The rods 24 are fixedly secured by welding or other means to the 2,964,200 Patented Dec. 13, 1960 ice outer face of the band or clamp element 20 at a point opposed to the bolt and nut assembly 22.

The portion 28 of the holder 14 and the eye formations 26 on the clamp element 20 constitute means connecting the holder 14 to the post 10 for swinging movement from the horizontal position shown in Figure 1 to an upright position adjacent the post 10, as shown in Figure 4.

A unitary integrally formed brace member 30 is provided engaging the post 10 at a point spaced above the holder 14 and at a point spaced below the holder 14 when the holder is in the horizontal position for retaining the holder 14 in the horizontal position.

Means is provided connecting the brace means or member 30 to the holder 14 for movement of the brace member 30 from the post-engaging position to an outof-post-engaging position when the holder has been swung to the upright nested position adjacent the post 10.

Specifically, this means consists in intermediate portions of the brace means or member 30 slidably and rotatably mounted on the holder 14.

The brace means or member 30 comprises a bendable but rigid rod having a first eye formation 32 on one end slidably mounted upon the portion of the longitudinally extending rod member 18 intermediate the ends thereof.

A straight section 34 of the brace member 30 connects the eye formation 32 to a foot 36 formed by doubling back of the brace member 30 upon itself. Another straight section 38 connects the foot 36 with a pair of eye formations 40 circurnposed about the portion of the rod 18 adjacent the holder portion 28. This much of the brace member 30 as above described is normally below the holder 14 when the holder 14 is in the horizontal position.

From the eye formation 40 extends upwardly another straight section 42 terminating in another foot 44 similarly formed in the brace member 30 and from the foot 44 a final straight section 46 extends to a final eye formation 48 circumposed about the portion of the rod 18 outwardly of the eye formation 40.

The eye formations 32, 40 and 48, connect the brace means or member 30 to the holder 14 for movement of the brace member 30 from the post-engaging position shown in Figure 2 to the outer post-engaging position shown in Figure 4 when the holder is swung to the upright or nested position adjacent the post 10.

Spring means is provided operatively connected to the holder 14 urging the holder 14 to the upright position. This spring means consists in a spring element 50 having an intermediate portion bent to form a U-shaped section 52 bearing against the portion of the clamp element 20 between the rods 24. Portions of the spring element 5% adjacent the ends of the legs of the section 52 are circumposed about the holder portion 28 and free end sections of the spring element 50, as at 56, project from the portions 54 and have their ends formed to hooks 58 engaging the adjacent parts of the holder rod 16.

The spring element 50 biases the holder 14 to the upright position shown in Figure 4 by reason of the engagement of its section 52 on the face of the clamp element 20 and the engagement of the hooks 58 on the adjacent parts of the rod 16.

The holder 14 is provided with transverse rod members 60, 62, and 64 arranged in spaced relation and having their ends anchored in the rod 16 and having an intermediate portion of each bisected by the rod member '15.

In use, the holder 14 is easily and with facility attached to the post 10 by spreading of the clamp element 20 a distance suflicient to permit the free ends thereof to pass around the post 10. The bolt and nut assembly 22 is easily employed to secure the free ends of the clamp element 20 in tight encircling engagement about the post 10. Upon the applicationof a manually applied swinging movement to the brace member 30, the latter is easily shifted from a position out of engagement with the post to a position in which the feet 36 and 44 bear against the side of the post 10at twopoints, one above the holder 14 and one below the holder 14.

The brace member 30 is fabricated of suchrod material as to be resilient and yet rigid enough to support the holder 14 in the horizontal position, the resiliency of the brace member 30 permitting manual shifting of each of the foot carrying portions of the brace member 30 into and out of engagement with the adjacent peripheral portions of the post 10. When a basket of clothes to be hung on a line is supported upon the holder :14, the holder 14 yields sufiiciently to permit the eye formation 32 on the end of the brace member 30 to slide on the rod member 18 to a position in engagement with the adjacent rod member 60.

When it is desired to shift the holder 14-from the horizontal position to the upright position, it is only necessary to manually shift the brace member 36 out of engagement with the post 10 and to permit the spring element 50 to raise the holder 14 to the upright position under the action of the spring element 50.

What is claimed is:

l. The combination with a post, of a basket support comprising a horizontally disposed rigid open frame holder adapted to support a clothes basket arranged-on one side of said post, means connecting-said holder to said post for swinging movement from the horizontal position to an upright position adjacent said post, brace means engaging said post at a point spaced above said holder and at a point spaced below said holder when the holder is in the horizontal position for retaining the holder in the horizontal position, and means connecting said brace means to said holder for movement of said brace means from the post-engaging position to an outof-post-engaging position when the holder is swung to the upright position.

2. The combination with a post, of a basket support comprising a horizontally disposed rigid open ,frarne holder adapted to support a clothes basket arranged on one side of said post, said holder embodying an open frame having a longitudinally extending member, means connecting said holder to said post for swinging movement from the horizontal position to an upright position adjacent said post, brace means engaging said post at a point spaced above said holder and at a point spaced below said holder when the holder is in the horizontal position for retaining the holder in the horizontal position, and meansrembodying intermediate portions of said brace means slidably and rotatably mounted on said longitudinally extending member connecting said brace means to said holder for movement of said brace means from the post-engaging position to an out-of-post-engaging position when the holder is swung to the upright position.

3. The combination with a post, of a basket support comprising a horizontally disposed rigid open frame holder adapted .to support a clothes basket arranged on one side of said post, said holder embodying an open frame having a longitudinallyextending member, means connecting said holder to said post for swinging movement from the horizontalposition to an upright position adjacent said post, brace means engaging said post at a point spaced above said holder and at a point spaced below said holder whenthe holder is in the horizontal position for-retaining theholder in the horizontal position, means embodying intermediate portions of said brace means slidably and rotatably mounted on said longitudinally extending member connecting said brace means to said holderfor movement of said brace means from the post-engaging position to an out-of-post-engaging position when the holder is swung to the upright position, and .spring means operatively connected to said holder urging the latter to the upright position.

References Citeddn the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 500,527 iBrickley June 27, 1893 542,556 Drum July 9, 1895 1,025,030 tSyverson ,.,.....t Apr. 3.0, 1912 

